Upon looking at the future forecast of the weather, we are about to experience the coldest weather we have seen in several months. The low temperatures are going to get below freezing and will fall somewhere between the low and mid-twenties. This will probably cause the watering tanks here on the homestead to get an ice crust or may cause them to get more.
The colder temperatures are coming a little later this year, but now is the perfect time to get our stock tanks ready for winter. Currently, we have five stock tanks, which we made out of IBC tanks, out in our barn lot. For us, heaters that are placed in the water do the trick and will help to keep the water thawed so the cattle will be able to drink it.
The de-icer that we use on the homestead is called Farm Innovators 1500W tank de-icer. We have used this model for several years and are very satisfied with the results that it has produced. There was only one or two times that I can remember having to break the ice on the tank. The reason was because the temperature got 15 or 20 degrees below zero (with wind chills that were even colder) and even then it was only a thin sheet of ice. Actually, we liked this model so much that we purchased three more, so that we could have one for each of our tanks. It is a submersible water heater with a metal guard around the heating element. This metal guard makes it safe to use on plastic, rubber, or metal tanks. This works out great for us since our IBC tanks are a really thick plastic.
We have heard from a couple of people that this year could be an active winter, but hopefully it’s not going to be. Just in case we are getting ready now and hoping for the best, while also preparing for the worst. It will be a lot easier to get the heaters in now versus waiting until the tank starts to freeze.
Thanks for reading!